Lighting control systems switch and dim luminaires as they set up light scenes and manage them in space and time. Most of the large lighting control systems are predominantly digitally based systems that allow luminaires to be addressed individually and provide great flexibility. Their user-friendly features include easy programming and operation along with a simple installation process. Lighting control systems can be integrated as a subsystem into a building management system. A lighting control network consists of one or more lighting devices; e.g., electrical ballast, LED devices, and dimmers. The dimmers must support specific interfaces to be able to receive control inputs and dim the light appropriately.
The use of embedded LEDs inside luminaires means that the luminaires do not fail abruptly like traditional light sources anymore; instead, their light output slowly diminishes over time. Smart luminaires these days are possibly attached to a plurality of sensors. The plurality of sensors can be daylight sensors, various kind of field strength sensors used to sense electrical and magnetic fields, temperature sensors, motion sensors, light sensors, proximity sensors, and so on.
In current smart lighting systems, the plurality of sensors, which are located in very close proximity with smart luminaires, are directly exposed to the light with high luminous intensity coming out of those smart luminaires. Further, the electrical emissions around the luminaires can impact close proximity sensors. Luminaires with different lumen emission impacts the sensors' abilities such as light sensing, environmental sensing, low resolution camera sensors, and others. Sensor systems are being designed to fit specific luminaires by shape and later, by electrical and lumen factors. These sensor system designs are limited and need to be refreshed at a very high rate, as the luminaire design and capabilities are constantly updated.
Sensors, by definition, are sensitive instruments and high luminous intensities can easily overload these delicate sensors. The high lux level being measured by the sensor can create erroneous readings leading to inaccuracies in the collected data. Furthermore, some filters such as an Integrated IR filter (e.g., infrared cut-off filter) present on the front of the sensor can be easily degraded by high lux levels, leading to a lower lifetime of the sensor in different applications.
Therefore, in view of the disadvantages associated with currently available methods and devices for accurately sensing high luminosity luminaires having different shapes, there is a need for a device and method that to provide a sensor clip, which can be adjusted to fit multiple luminaire designs and would be able to handle a large variety of light type and lux intensity. Ideally, such a sensor clip would accommodate different sensors and be easily fitted to attach to different luminaires.